Shoppers attracted by Costco’s $1.50 hot dog and soda combo, which has remained the same price since 1985, but not by the wholesale store’s $60 annual membership fee, may be out of luck: The company is making its food court “members only.”
And there are reports that Costco is already taking steps to enforce the policy in certain locations. A Reddit user posted Thursday that at a Costco location in Conroe, Texas, the person at the door checking receipts wanted to see the food court receipt.
Earlier this month, a Costco location in Orlando, Florida, posted: “Beginning April 8, 2024, an active Costco membership card will be required to purchase items from our food court.”
Related: Costco may start requiring members to scan ID to enter U.S. warehouses
In January, a Costco in Issaquah, Washington, went further than ever to enforce a members-only space, requiring members to scan their cards before entering the warehouse.
Costco Kirkland Signature $1.50 combo hot dog and soda, which has remained the same price since 1985 despite rising consumer prices and inflation, at the food court outside a Costco Wholesale Corp. store on June 14 2022 in Hawthorne, California. Photo by Patrick T. FALLON/AFP
According to Costco’s fiscal 2023 earnings report, subscriptions generated $4.58 billion in profits, or 73% of Costco’s net income of $6.29 billion.
Data from Statista shows the 2023 figure was an increase from the $4.22 billion Costco memberships generated in 2022 and the $3.88 billion memberships brought in to the company in 2021.
Costco memberships start at $60 per year for a Gold Star or corporate membership and go up to $120 per year for an executive membership. Costco hasn’t increased the cost of its memberships in 7 years, since 2017.
Related: Costco CFO Reveals Uncertain Fate of $1.50 Hot Dog and Soda Combo